G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra Review

07 August 2009

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Cast: Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Christopher Eccleston
Dir: Stephen Sommers
Rating: 4/5

This week sees the big blockbuster summer come to a close and it's G.I Joe: The Rise of the Cobra that brings it to an explosive finish.

The blockbusters have come under some harsh, and very unjustified criticism, over recent weeks and I fear that G.I. Joe will probably face more of the same.

But not here at FemaleFirst we realise that these movies are here to entertain and Rise of the Cobra does exactly that from star to finish.

Yes I appreciate that military bases under the sand of Egypt and built under water are very 'real' but that's a bitter pill that some of these harsh critics are going to have to swallow.

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra is action packed from the word go and doesn't stop until the end credits roll.

When a case pf warheads is stolen from a military convoy Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord (Wayans) find themselves thrust into the middle of a secret military unit call The Joes, and they immediately want in.

But when a blast from Duke's past and weapons designer McCullen, who was supposed to be one of the good guys, appear to be involved and release one of the warheads is released in Paris destroying the Eiffel Tower the new team must come together and put personal feelings aside.

Sommers was the director behind The Mummy and he doesn't hang about as the plot races at a quick pace, you can't complain of being bored in this movie that's for sure, as he mixes his octane action, comedy and of course romance.

It's great to see such an international cast with a good British presence from the likes of Christopher Eccleston and Sienna Miller, in the tightest costume known to man, both landing leading roles.

The Joes, mainly Channing, Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Saïd Taghmaoui and Ray Park banter well together and are a band of heroes that can really be explored in future movies.

And that is what is so great about this movie it may be the beginning of a new franchise but Sommers spends little time explaining the past, where the likes of The Fantastic Four have come unstuck, even the flashbacks are kept to a minimum.

And while none of the cast are pushing from an acting perspective they all turn in great performances, with some excellent action sequences and stunt work.

Packed into two hours the movie doesn't pause for breathe and is a superb piece of entertainment with great action sequences, and boy are there plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat, and some truly great CGI.

In all G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra is a fantastic piece of escapist cinema that should just be sat back and enjoyed.

Sommers and co have produced a group of likeable characters and has managed to pack everything into a neat and exciting storyline that doesn't overstay it's welcome.

And the end of the film is perfectly poised, as you would imagine, for a sequel that I really hope does happen as there is a lot of scope for further battles with Destro and the Doctor as well as plenty of backstory to uncover.

G.I. Joe is a blockbuster gem that really deserves some box office success!

G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra is out now.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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